We all have a purpose for leveraging certain social media sites. It could be as simple as making new connections, growing your brand, or just trying out the platform. Either way, the message needs to be clear and your audience needs to know your purpose.

Twitter is your marketing tool. Your bio is limited to 260 characters and should reflect your 30 second elevator pitch. A quick glance of your tweets should reflect your message, show your personality, and what your niche is.

Be consistent with your tweets

If you’ve decided to signup for Twitter, don’t ignore it. There’s nothing worse than an empty shell of a profile to represent you as a brand. Tweet and be active. Tweet with your purpose in mind. The Twitter timeline moves quickly so if you tweet often the chances of you being seen and noticed will be greater, which will also attract interested users to your profile.

Caution: don’t just tweet for the sake of tweeting and appearing in the public timeline. Always stick to your purpose and the message you want to convey.

Converse

Don’t be a broadcaster (only sharing your message). Part of being active on Twitter is also being conversational on Twitter. If you come across an interesting discussion, jump in and add your thoughts. If someone replies to you, be sure to follow back as soon as you can. The true beauty of Twitter really lies here. The art of conversation can take you anywhere, allowing you to meet interesting people, a potential lead, or just a friend. As a business or brand, conversation can provide another layer of connection with your customers — fostering loyalty and brand ambassadors.

Sharing is caring

The best way to build goodwill and an objective presence on Twitter is sharing, and by “sharing” I mean sharing the content of others. If you find good content in your timeline, don’t be afraid to share it. As stated above, we all use Twitter for a variety of reasons. Some of us are trying to further our cause, get an idea off the ground, etc. By helping push out others’ messages, you not only avoid looking too self-promotional, but you also show that you care what other people are saying and have an interest in things other than yourself…and that’s true rockstar behavior. Enhancing the lives of others shows your potential followers that your motives for Twitter aren’t purely selfish.

A general rule of thumb for Twitter is that 80% of your tweets should be about promoting others; the remaining 20% can be used for self promotion.

Be Yourself

Be genuine. Be yourself. Tweeps want to connect with the real you so don’t claim to be something you’re not. Even a simple white lie has the potential to harm you and unfortunately the Internet is not kind once you’re known to be a fake or a fraud so don’t run that risk. There is a lot of be learned when Twitter accounts go rogue or don’t follow best practices.

Finally, use Twitter to your advantage and have fun with it. Don’t stress about the number but the quality of your tweets and the value you can provide your followers. During the 3 years I’ve been on Twitter, I’ve noticed that kindness goes a long way on Twitter. Sharing and conversing have been the tools of my Twitter rockstar success. However if you tweet from the heart, the rest will take care of itself.

Is there a Twitter rockstar tip that we’re missing? What are your secrets to mastering Twitter and what has worked best for you?